· 6 min read

Onomatopoeic Phrases for Everyday Life

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Japanese Onomatopoeia 🤩

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Japanese Onomatopoeia 🤩

Japanese onomatopoeia, known as 擬音語 (giongo) and 擬態語 (gitaigo), is a fascinating aspect of the language that captures various sounds and sensations. Let’s explore onomatopoeic phrases for a wide range of everyday topics and items.

Cars

  1. ブンブン (bun-bun) - Engine humming
  2. ガタンガタン (gatan-gatan) - Clattering of an old car
  3. キュルル (kyururu) - Sound of tires turning
  4. パンパン (pan-pan) - Flat tire
  5. ジャキン (jakin) - Sound of a car door closing
  6. ギュンギュン (gyun-gyun) - Accelerating quickly
  7. ビュンビュン (byun-byun) - Car speeding by
  8. クラクション (kurakushon) - Car horn
  9. ズシン (zushin) - Sound of a heavy car
  10. ピーピー (pii-pii) - Squeaking brakes

Trains

  1. シュッシュ (shu-shu) - Steam train
  2. ゴトゴト (goto-goto) - Train running on tracks
  3. デンデン (den-den) - Electric train
  4. ジョジョジョ (jo-jo-jo) - Train approaching
  5. ドアカン (doakan) - Train door closing
  6. チクタク (chiku-taku) - Sound of a train clock
  7. キシキシ (kishi-kishi) - Train brakes
  8. ヒュルル (hyururu) - Bullet train speeding by
  9. ダンダン (dan-dan) - Train climbing uphill
  10. ピーピーポー (pii-pii-poo) - Train whistle

Bus

  1. ドンドン (don-don) - Bus door closing
  2. グーッ (gu-) - Bus engine starting
  3. ニュンニュン (nyun-nyun) - Bus speeding up
  4. ガシャン (gashan) - Bus door opening
  5. ブーブー (buu-buu) - Bus horn
  6. カラカラ (kara-kara) - Sound of a bus moving
  7. ズゴッ (zugo-) - Bus stopping
  8. ツーン (tsu-n) - Sound of bus brakes
  9. ゴロゴロ (goro-goro) - Bus moving on a bumpy road
  10. ピーピー (pii-pii) - Bus backing up warning sound

Animals

  1. ワンワン (wan-wan) - Dog barking
  2. ニャンニャン (nyan-nyan) - Cat meowing
  3. コケコッコー (koke-kokko-) - Rooster crowing
  4. モーモー (moo-moo) - Cow mooing
  5. ヒヒーン (hihi-n) - Horse neighing
  6. ブーブー (buu-buu) - Pig oinking
  7. カーカー (kaa-kaa) - Crow cawing
  8. ゲロゲロ (gero-gero) - Frog croaking
  9. ミーミー (mii-mii) - Sheep bleating

Sports

  1. スパッ (supa-) - Kicking a ball
  2. ゴォル (gooru) - Scoring a goal
  3. ズドン (zudon) - Slam dunk
  4. シュン (shun) - Swinging a golf club
  5. バキッ (baki-) - Punching sound in boxing
  6. カキン (kakin) - Striking a tennis ball
  7. ドップリ (dop-puri) - Diving into water
  8. ズサーッ (zusaa-) - Sliding tackle
  9. ギュン (gyun) - Running fast
  10. チャプン (chapun) - Hitting a volleyball

Colors

While there aren’t specific onomatopoeic phrases for colors, some sounds can be associated with certain colors. Here are some examples:

  1. ピカピカ (pika-pika) - Sparkling, often associated with bright colors
  2. シャキシャキ (shaki-shaki) - Crisp, fresh, often associated with green
  3. ジューシー (juushii) - Juicy, often associated with red or orange
  4. ブルブル (buru-buru) - Shivering, often associated with cold colors like blue
  5. キラキラ (kira-kira) - Twinkling, often associated with metallic colors

Seasons

  1. サラサラ (sara-sara) - Rustling leaves, autumn
  2. ツルン (tsurun) - Melting snow, spring
  3. ジリジリ (jiri-jiri) - Intense sunlight, summer
  4. カチカチ (kachi-kachi) - Frozen, winter
  5. プカプカ (puka-puka) - Floating petals, spring
  6. シトシト (shito-shito) - Gentle rain, spring and autumn
  7. コロコロ (koro-koro) - Rolling acorns, autumn
  8. ガンガン (gan-gan) - Pounding heat, summer
  9. フワフワ (fuwa-fuwa) - Fluffy snow, winter
  10. ズブズブ (zubu-zubu) - Sinking in mud, rainy season

Weather

  1. ザーザー (zaa-zaa) - Heavy rain
  2. パラパラ (para-para) - Light rain
  3. ピーチク (piichiku) - Pleasent day
  4. チラチラ (chira-chira) - Flurries of snow
  5. ゴロゴロ (goro-goro) - Thunder
  6. パチパチ (pachi-pachi) - Crackling of a fire
  7. ひゅー (hyuu) - Strong wind
  8. シュー (shuu) - Gentle breeze
  9. カッカッ (kakka-) - Hail
  10. キラキラ (kira-kira) - Glistening frost

Planets

  1. ピカピカ (pika-pika) - Twinkling stars
  2. キラキラ (kira-kira) - Glistening planets
  3. ブーン (buun) - Sound of a rocket
  4. ドッカーン (dokkaan) - Explosion, like a supernova
  5. ジュワッ (juwa-) - Solar flare
  6. フワフワ (fuwa-fuwa) - Weightlessness in space
  7. ウィーン (wiin) - Sound of a satellite
  8. シュッ (shu-) - Meteor shower
  9. ゴォー (goo-) - Black hole
  10. ワープ (waapu) - Warp speed

Insects

  1. ブンブン (bun-bun) - Buzzing of a bee
  2. ジージー (jii-jii) - Cricket chirping
  3. ゲップ (geppu) - Sound of a caterpillar
  4. パタパタ (pata-pata) - Fluttering of a butterfly
  5. カサカサ (kasa-kasa) - Sound of a beetle
  6. ズンズン (zun-zun) - Marching ants
  7. シュンシュン (shun-shun) - Dragonfly buzzing
  8. チョロチョロ (choro-choro) - Scampering of a centipede
  9. プクプク (puku-puku) - Sound of a water strider
  10. ニョキニョキ (nyoki-nyoki) - Growing of a worm

Birds

  1. ピーチク (piichiku) - Birds chirping
  2. カーカー (kaa-kaa) - Crow cawing
  3. ポッポ (popo) - Pigeon cooing
  4. ツィッツィ (tsi-tsi) - Sound of a small, buzzing insect
  5. ウィーッ (wii-) - Sound of an eagle
  6. オウオウ (ou-ou) - Hooting of an owl
  7. クック (kukku) - Cuckoo calling
  8. カッカッ (kakka-) - Duck quacking
  9. チュンチュン (chun-chun) - Sparrow tweeting
  10. ゴーゴー (go-go) - Sound of a large bird flapping its wings

Fish

  1. シュッ (shu-) - Fish swimming quickly
  2. プクプク (puku-puku) - Fish blowing bubbles
  3. ザブン (zabun) - Fish jumping out of water
  4. スパッ (supa-) - Fish slapping the water
  5. クチャクチャ (kucha-kucha) - Sound of a fish eating
  6. グルグル (guru-guru) - Fish swimming in circles
  7. ニョロニョロ (nyoro-nyoro) - Eel swimming
  8. ジタバタ (jitabata) - Fish struggling out of water
  9. バタバタ (bata-bata) - Fish flipping on the shore

Flowers

  1. パタパタ (pata-pata) - Fluttering petals
  2. シュン (shun) - Blooming of a flower
  3. ウットリ (uttari) - Swaying of flowers in the breeze
  4. ホワホワ (howa-howa) - Softness of a flower’s petals
  5. サラサラ (sara-sara) - Sound of leaves rustling in the wind
  6. クンクン (kun-kun) - Sniffing a flower
  7. ピカピカ (pika-pika) - Glistening dew on petals
  8. プクプク (puku-puku) - Buds swelling before blooming
  9. チラチラ (chira-chira) - Falling petals
  10. ツヤツヤ (tsuya-tsuya) - Glossy leaves

Trees

  1. ザーザー (zaa-zaa) - Sound of leaves in the wind
  2. ゴロゴロ (goro-goro) - Sound of a tree trunk falling
  3. サラサラ (sara-sara) - Sound of leaves rustling
  4. ゴッソリ (gossori) - Sound of a tree being uprooted
  5. パチパチ (pachi-pachi) - Sound of branches snapping
  6. ツルン (tsurun) - Sound of a vine growing
  7. フワフワ (fuwa-fuwa) - Softness of a tree’s leaves
  8. コロコロ (koro-koro) - Sound of a tree trunk rolling
  9. クンクン (kun-kun) - Smell of a tree’s bark
  10. カリカリ (kari-kari) - Sound of a tree’s bark being peeled

Oceans

  1. ザーッ (zaa-) - Sound of waves crashing
  2. シュッ (shu-) - Gentle waves
  3. ゴォー (goo-) - Sound of a large wave
  4. パシャパシャ (pasha-pasha) - Sound of water splashing
  5. チャプチャプ (chapu-chapu) - Sound of walking in shallow water
  6. ドボン (dobon) - Sound of diving into water
  7. ズブズブ (zubu-zubu) - Sound of sinking into water
  8. クルクル (kuru-kuru) - Sound of a whirlpool
  9. ボコボコ (boko-boko) - Sound of underwater bubbles
  10. サラサラ (sara-sara) - Sound of a gentle ocean breeze

Community Helpers

  1. ピーポーピーポー (piipoo-piipoo) - Siren of a police car or ambulance
  2. ドンドン (don-don) - Firefighter’s ax striking a door
  3. ゴミゴミ (gomi-gomi) - Sound of trash collection
  4. パチン (pachin) - Stapling papers, office worker
  5. シャキシャキ (shaki-shaki) - Cutting with scissors, tailor
  6. ゴーゴー (gou-gou) - Construction worker using heavy machinery
  7. ズドン (zudon) - Chef chopping ingredients
  8. ペンペン (pen-pen) - Writing with a pen, teacher
  9. ガサガサ (gasa-gasa) - Sound of sorting mail, postal worker
  10. ジャラジャラ (jara-jara) - Sound of coins, cashier

Recycling

  1. カンカン (kan-kan) - Sound of aluminum cans
  2. ペチャン (pechan) - Sound of crushing a plastic bottle
  3. ガラガラ (gara-gara) - Sound of glass bottles
  4. パリパリ (pari-pari) - Sound of crumpling paper
  5. グシャ (gusha) - Sound of cardboard being crushed
  6. カチャカチャ (kacha-kacha) - Sound of sorting recyclables
  7. ゴミゴミ (gomi-gomi) - Sound of trash being collected
  8. ズッシリ (zusshiri) - Heaviness of a full recycling bin
  9. ビリビリ (biri-biri) - Sound of tearing paper
  10. カサカサ (kasa-kasa) - Sound of rustling leaves (compost)

Simple Machines

  1. ガラガラ (gara-gara) - Sound of a pulley
  2. コロコロ (koro-koro) - Sound of a wheel and axle
  3. ギーギー (gii-gii) - Sound of a gear turning
  4. ジャキジャキ (jaki-jaki) - Sound of a lever
  5. プシュ (pushu) - Sound of a hydraulic press
  6. バネ (bane) - Sound of a spring (not onomatopoeia)
  7. ドカン (dokan) - Sound of a hammer striking
  8. クルクル (kuru-kuru) - Sound of a screw turning
  9. ギシギシ (gishi-gishi) - Sound of a wedge being forced
  10. ツルン (tsurun) - Sound of an inclined plane

Dinosaurs

  1. ガオガオ (gao-gao) - Roar of a large dinosaur
  2. ピチピチ (pichi-pichi) - Sound of a small dinosaur
  3. ゾロゾロ (zoro-zoro) - Sound of dinosaurs marching
  4. グシャ (gusha) - Sound of a dinosaur biting
  5. バタバタ (bata-bata) - Sound of a pterodactyl flying
  6. ドサドサ (dosa-dosa) - Sound of a dinosaur stomping
  7. シャッ (sha-) - Sound of a dinosaur’s tail whipping
  8. キュキュ (kyu-kyu) - Sound of a dinosaur’s claws
  9. ゴロゴロ (goro-goro) - Sound of a dinosaur rolling
  10. ズドン (zudon) - Sound of a dinosaur falling

Musical Instruments

  1. ガラガラ (gara-gara) - Sound of maracas
  2. ドンドン (don-don) - Sound of drums
  3. トゥルル (tururu) - Sound of a flute
  4. グングン (gun-gun) - Sound of a trombone
  5. チャララ (charara) - Sound of a cymbal
  6. シャカシャカ (shaka-shaka) - Sound of a tambourine

Basic Human Body Parts

  1. コキコキ (koki-koki) - Sound of joints cracking
  2. ドキドキ (doki-doki) - Sound of a heartbeat
  3. ハクション (hakushon) - Sound of a sneeze
  4. クシャミ (kushami) - Sound of a yawn
  5. ゴクゴク (goku-goku) - Sound of swallowing
  6. パチパチ (pachi-pachi) - Sound of clapping hands
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